Protector
by Ellivia22
Summary: After a vivid nightmare, Zack analyzes his relationship with Cody and what it means to be an older brother. Zack/Cody NOT twincest! R


(A/N: Hello all! I hope you are having a great week. Hope you enjoy this story, as always. Take care! I love you guys! ~Ellivia22~)

Disclaimer: I love Suite Life religiously, but unfortunately it's not mine :(

******Protector**

******By: Ellivia22**

******Zack**

The darkness of the room surrounds me entirely. Even though it's dark, I know where to go. Luckily this side of the room is neat and tidy. I don't have to worry about running into anything. It's really late, but I'm not going to let that stop me. I know that if I don't do this, I won't be able to sleep at all. I ignore Woody's snores and continue moving forward.

At last I reach my destination. Quietly I sit down on the bed next to the figure in the bed. He's lying on his side, in a deep sleep. I've known him for seventeen years and that he can sleep through anything. He'll never know I'm here. For a while I just stare at him as he sleeps on. Then I reach over and rub his small back gently.

As soon as I touch him, a sense of calmness spreads through me. The panic that I was feeling before is slowly starting to fade away. Even though I'm calming down slightly, I can't help but think about what brought me here in the first place. All because of a nightmare that occurred three nights ago.

___It was a cool night and somehow I was back in Boston. I was walking down the dark street, lost in deep thought. I was thinking about my life and how great it really was. I had a loving family, a great girlfriend, and a future to look forward to. I wouldn't change anything._

___An earsplitting scream sliced through the silent air. My pounding heart dropped to my stomach. I'd recognize that sound anywhere. But where was it coming from?_

"___CODY!" I cried hysterically, looking around frantically. I didn't see him anywhere. "Cody! Where are you?"_

___A voice full of agony answered back. "Zack! Save me!"_

___"I'm coming buddy!" I hollered back._

___With a burst of speed, I ran down the street, looking everywhere for my twin. Cold air hit me like a slap in the face but I ignored it. I had to find my brother. Cody's anguished screams continued, tearing my heart to pieces. My chest tightened in pain from running so hard, but I didn't stop. I wasn't going to stop until I found him. The dark street seemed to be endless. Still no sign of Cody._

___"Zack, why won't you save me? Don't you care about me?"_

___Tears started falling down my face. His words cut me like a sharp knife. "I'll save you Cody! I promise!"_

___I reached the end of the dark street, panting hard. I was surrounded by silence again. Tears were streaming down my face. I didn't bother stopping them. Cody was still nowhere to be found. I had failed him. As I turned to run the other direction, soft whimpering noises caught my attention. A figure was lying in a small dark corner. "CODY!" I screamed._

___I ran over to him. The stench of blood filled my nostrils as I came closer. Cody was completely black and blue from the multitude of bruises and covered in cuts. His face was bloody and barely recognizable. A sob escapes my throat seeing him hurt like this, followed by hot boiling rage. I'm going to destroy whoever did this to him. NOBODY hurts my little brother. Thick red blood was seeping fast from what looked like a couple of stab wounds to Cody's chest._

___I pulled him into my arms. "Cody," I whimpered, shaking him gently. "I'm here. You're going to be okay. I promise."_

___I pushed back his bloody bangs, hoping with all my being that he was still alive. His blue eyes slowly opened. Instead of sparkling like before, they were dull and full of abandonment at the same time. "I should've known you weren't going to save me," he muttered. His voice was ragged and weak. "You only pretended to care," He coughed up blood. "To use me."_

___An invisible blade cut through me by his words. The pain was so bad inside I could barely stand it. I hugged him tightly. The tears were coming so fast I could barely see. "That's not true!" I protested. My voice was raw and full of regret. "I know I haven't been the best brother to you, but I do care about you. I-I love you!" I barely managed to choke out the last few words._

___"Yeah right." His voice was barely audible. Then he went limp in my arms._

___"Please don't leave me!" I begged desperately. I shook him, but nothing happened except his head lolling from side to side. "PLEASE!"_

___No response. I pulled Cody tighter in my arms and sobbed my heart out. My twin was dead and it was all my fault. I didn't protect him, didn't save him. I hated myself so much. "I'm so sorry Cody."_

I shudder as the memory comes to an end. Ever since I had that nightmare, I haven't been able to think about anything else. The dream has given me a powerful message. I need to treat Cody better than I have been. He's done so much for me over the years and I haven't done enough. I need to be a better brother. Cody's bloody body flashes in my mind again. I secretly vow to myself to protect him from anything and everything no matter what. I bet Cody knows that something is wrong with me, because I haven't pulled a prank on him since. So far the only thing easing my torment is coming here and keeping a close eye on my twin. He's all I have. I can't lose him. I squeeze my eyes shut as I continue to rub his back gently.

******Cody**

I stir awake as I hear the door of my cabin open and close. I glance at the clock. 2:39AM. Not again!

For three nights in a row, Zack has been coming in my cabin. At first I thought he was just going to pull another prank on me. Instead all he did was sit next to me on the bed and rub my back. It was very weird, but soothing at the same time. I knew it was him, because of twin instinct. I wonder why he's doing this.

Now that I think about it, Zack has been acting very strange the past couple of days. Instead of socializing and acting out in class, he's been keeping to himself. Maya had asked me about his strange behavior, but I didn't have an answer for her. He hasn't pulled a prank on me either. The weirdest thing of all is what happened yesterday.

___I was walking into the Lido deck, my arm wrapped around Bailey. It was a pretty normal day. We had just finished lunch at the Aqua Lounge and were planning to study together. My life was going great._

___"Cody! Just the person I wanted to see!"_

___We turned around to see my brother at the juice bar, motioning for use to come over. Bailey and I glanced at each other. Ever since Zack changed the other day, we weren't sure of what to expect. Cautiously we walked over to the juice bar._

___"What's up, Zack?" I asked._

___My twin reached under the counter and grabbed something. Then he handed it to me. It was a package in blue paper. "Here, I got you this when we were in port yesterday."_

___I opened the package. Nestled in my hands was the new protractor that was supposed to come out this month. I've been waiting for this to come out for ages. I stared at him, at a loss for words. He hadn't gotten me something on a regular day before._

___Finally I found my voice. "T-thanks Zack. That was really nice of you." I tightened my grip on Bailey then turned to leave. "I'll have your English homework to you by tonight."_

___"Don't worry about it, buddy," Zack called after me. "I already did it. Consider this a day off."_

___I felt confused and genuinely concerned. First Zack stopped pulling pranks on me, then he bought me something for no reason at all, then finally did his homework instead of insisting that I do it. Something was definitely wrong here. He never acted like this before. I wanted to know what was wrong, but at the same time, I didn't want Zack's new change of behavior to end._

Zack sits down next to me on the bed. I close my eyes as he starts to rub my back again. I feel calm, relaxed. Zack rarely shows affection, but I'll take it whenever I can get it.

A few minutes later he speaks, his voice quivering. "C-Cody, I know you're asleep, but there is so much I want to tell you. I should be telling you this while you're awake, but I can't. As you know, I have such a hard time expressing myself."

Zack sighs and squeezes my shoulder gently. I want to let him know that I'm awake, but I know that if I do, he won't say what he's wanting to say. He's never been good at opening up-even to me. I stay quiet and wait for him to continue.

"A couple nights ago, I had a nightmare-the worst one I've ever had. Because of this dream, I haven't been able to sleep. I dreamt about your death and I couldn't save you, even though I really tried. That's why I keep coming in your room during the night-to make sure you are safe."

His voice is thick with emotion. He's trying so hard to keep it together. Now I understand fully why Zack has been acting so strange the past couple of days. The nightmare must've really gotten to him. I didn't think anything could scare my older brother. I guess I was wrong.

"Cody, I know I haven't treated you like you deserve. I've been taking you for granted for so long and I'm so very sorry. You probably think that I don't care, but that's not true at all. You are the most important person in my life. If I ever lost you," he swallows hard. "I don't know what I'd do. You are my reason for living. I promise I'll try to be a better brother, a better friend. Most of all, I promise to protect you no matter what happens. I love you."

The smile on my face is so big it almost hurts. I feel so good on the inside. He actually does care about me after all. All my worries and doubts about my twin are disappearing by the second. I want to tell him how happy he's made me, but I remember that I'm supposed to still be asleep. "I love you, Zack" I mumble pretending that I'm still asleep. Hopefully he won't call my bluff.

He kisses my head gently. "I love you too, Cody." He then gets off the bed and shuts the door behind him. I hope that getting this off his chest will bring him peace at last.

I fall asleep, my smile still wide. His words make me feel warm and safe. Everything between us is going to be okay. I'm so glad to have him in my life; as my protector, my best friend, my twin.

******Fin**

******Thanks for reading. Please review :)**


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